Continental GatorSkin Road Wire Bead Tyre

The GatorSkin is the ultimate wire bead training & racing tyre where puncture protection is priority. Using the latest technology against flats the GatorSkin range uses an aramid breaker and Duraskin® sidewall ProTection.

The GatorSkin is the ultimate wire bead training & racing tyre where puncture protection is priority. Using the latest technology against flats the GatorSkin range uses an aramid breaker and Duraskin® sidewall ProTection.

Top Features of the Continental GatorSkin Road Wire Bead Tyre

Super fine 240 tpi casing plus a bead-to-bead layer of DuraSkin, and a Kevlar-reinforced layer directly under the tread

Product Data

Weight (g):

320

Tyre Bead:

Wire

Puncture Protection:

Duraskin

Use:

Road

Wheel Size:

700c (622)

Road:

Yes

The long distance runner. A durable carbon black mixture, a well regarded puncture protection system and the DuraSkin™-anti-cut fabric turn the GatorSkin into a real long distance runner. In varying widths of 23mm and 25mm it can be used on the way to work as well as training for road races or for sportives and audax. A durable, tough tyre at a really nice price.

PolyX Breaker Technology

With their PolyX Breaker, Continental bring PKW know-how to the bike tyre arena – Polyester has been used successfully for years in car tyres and been tried and tested many times. The extremely resistant polyester fibre is woven tightly crosswire making a very high fabric density which not only makes the Breaker more resistant to foreign objects, but is also resistant to punctures. The rolling resistance is not effected either by the PolyX Breaker.

DuraSkin

Tyres with DuraSkin sidewall protection have to roll with the punches. These tyres are used in the harshest conditions. On messenger bikes, on epic travel bikes crossing continents without wearing through and in professional cycling they have to endure tough tests such as Paris-Roubaix. The high-quality polyamide fabric reliably protects the casing of the tyre and protects the tyre from the worst conditions. These tyres stand out with their brown sidewalls. The slick natural rubber tread is designed to perform well in wet/wintery conditions.

About Road Race Tyres

These tyres are for racing style bikes that use clincher/hooked rims, these are the most common fitment and hook onto the rim and require an inner tube. There is a wide choice of tyres within this category and the right choice is important. Lighter tyres will accelerate quickly, but will be more prone to punctures so getting a balance is extremely important. If you require a tyre for all round use look for something with puncture protection, an average TPI(Threads Per Inch) and average weight. If you require a fast tyre and speed is the only thing that matters look for a low weight folding tyre with high TPI. If durability is your priority and speed is not so important look towards the puncture resistant tyres and consider going for a wider tyre, these will be less prone to punctures and offer a bit more comfort. For wet road conditions a triple compound or winter tyre is a good choice, these use a softer compound on the cornering surface to maximise grip.

About the Continental brand

More than 100 years experience in the development and production of bicycle tyres has made Continental a unique company within the industry. Continental is the only German bicycle tyre manufacturer to produce its tyres in Germany. Knowing this serves as a mighty incentive to our engineers and everyone else involved in the manufacturing process to constantly strive for further innovations. In our technology and development center in Korbach, we are constantly developing new revolutionary technologies such as the unbeatable Black Chili Compound and the ultimate Vectran™ Breaker anti-puncture technology, both used at the top end of race sport. These technologies demand sophisticated processes to ensure our legendary end-product quality, and these innovations as well as the new “ProTection” and ”RaceSport” technology for MTB tyres, can only be manufactured in our factory in Germany – “Handmade in Germany”. In order to offer the best tyre for any application, we rely equally on dialogue with our professional racers, hobby cyclists and everyday bike riders.
This results not only in high-end products for top sports applications such as the new Podium TT or the revolutionary downhill tyre “Der Kaiser”, but also tyres for everyday use like the new innovative combination EcoContact/EcoContact Plus as a companion to the latest e-bike trend. As a global player, Continental also maintains high-tech production facilities outside of Germany, where Continental tyres are produced for you with an equal degree of care and dedication. One thing all Continental bicycle tyres have in common is that they are developed in the technology center in Korbach, Germany, where they also undergo strict inspection. Our heart and soul is behind the phrase “Handmade in Germany”, with all of its products and technologies.

Sizing information

Continental Racing Bike Tyre Chart

Tyre Range

Fitness

Training

Sportive

Race

ProTour

Tyre Choice

UltraSport

UltraRace

UltraGatorskin

GrandPrix

Grand Prix4 Season

Grand Prix4000

Grand PrixSupersonic

Grand PrixTriathlon

Grand PrixAttack & Force

InnerTube

Race28

Race28

Race 28Light

Race 28Light

Race 28SuSo

Metric

ISO

Imperial

SECT-DIA

700 x 18C

18-622

700 x 23C

23-622

700 x 25C

25-622

700 x 28C

28-622

28 x 1 5/8 x 1 1/8

700 x 32C

32-622

28 x 1 5/8 x 1 1/4

700 x 35C

37-622

28 x 1 5/8 x 1 3/8

700 x 47C

47-622

This is a generic size guide not all tyres
will come in the sizes shown.

Delivery Information

The delivery options available for shipping this product along with the contents of your basket to USA are:

International Delivery

Wiggle ships to over 100 countries. To see what delivery options are available for other destinations you can update your delivery destination via the International Options feature at the top right of the website.

Magazine reviews for Continental GatorSkin Road Wire Bead Tyre

Review from
220 Triathlon

The UltraGatorskin is one of the most popular road tyres on the market, largely thanks to its famous reliability. Punture resistance is almost up there with the Specialized Armadillo Elite, thanks to an aramid strip underneath the central section of the tread, and the sidewalls' reinforcing polyamide mesh(Duraskin).The Gatorskin is impressive at keeping out larger attackers like big thorns and shards of glass. Grip is great, most notably for cornering in the wet where these tyres are the stars among all those tested, and durability is excellent too. Our set weighed in at 214g each - considerably lighter than Conti's claimed weight of 230g, which is unusual. You could easily race on these tyres but they really excel for off-season mile-munching.

In conclusion...

Tough, durable and reasonably light; especially good for wet conditions.

Rating: 9/10

Review from
Bikeradar

Gatorskins seem to divide opinions on reliability, but if you keep them at 110-120psi and don't run them down to the casing, they live up to Conti's claim of being 'the ultimate training and racing tyre where puncture protection is priority'.

The bead-to-bead Duraskin layer makes the sidewalls slash-resistant and the aramid belt under the tread is tough for a training tyre.

It's light and fast too, with a rolling performance not far off that of a race tyre. Wire bead versions are about 50g heavier and £3 cheaper than their folding counterparts.

In conclusion...

Fast and robust for audax, winter training or long-distance commuting

Rating: 9/10

Review from
Cycling Plus

Grip is fine and puncture protection is good for such a light tyre...the gatorskin is very light for a 26in slick.

In conclusion...

Training-tyre performance on a 26in wheel. One for drop-bar, urban Mtb's.

Rating: 8/10

Review from
Cycling Plus

Thanks to it's light casing construction and outstanding resistance to punctures the Ultra Gator Skin range is a firm C+ for audax duties...Great looking carbon/amber sidewall that stays looking good after several rides in wet weather, and there's little sign of tread wear after 500 miles and no cuts

In conclusion...

Toughest performance tyre available

Rating: 9/10

Review from
Cycling Weekly

Our test samples have proven entirely impervious to flints, thorns, urban detritus and potholes during 2000 kilometres of all weather riding. And since they still show the moulding flash on the tread, longevity shouldn't be a problem.

In conclusion...

Exceptional combination of abilities. This new rubber offers a quantum leap forward. Puncture resistant as well as being a fast road tyre.

Rating: 4/5

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Henry70 from
Great Commuter TyreIf you are looking for a tyre to deal with all that the British winter has to throw at the commuter then this is the perfect choice. Have used these for the last five years and they really reduce the amount of punctures that you get.

Date published: 2017-12-12

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Bowers75 from
Bullet Proof tiresThe best commuter tire available. My only complaint is that they can be tough to get on and off Shimano rims.

Date published: 2017-12-10

Rated 3 out of
5 by
Cheshireqq from
Really good reliable tyrePurchased this tyre to replace stock tyres on my bike, which were forever puncturing. I've been out a few times with these tyres and so far they're proving to be very reliable. The only negative is that they are very difficult to put on. Having said that, I would definitely recommend.

Date published: 2017-12-07

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Adam117 from
Decent puncture protectionGreat puncture protection, and good wet grip. Perhaps a little bouncy but all in all a good cheap tyre that lasts really well.
The only thing is fitting it is hard work! but that can be any tyre

Which size would be best to replace exsisting 700x26, the 25 or 28?

Asked by: Jenebee

On todays potholey roads go for the biggest you can fit. Ultragatorskins are a normal size 28. Gran Prix poly-X 28s are even larger and excellent. What will go round in your frame, I'm afraid, only you can tell.

Answered by: RikvanBike

Date published: 2013-10-23

Do these tyres come in pairs?

I was just wondering whether these tyres come as one, or whether it's a double pack. I know friends who've made mistakes here - I assume it's one but just checking. Thanks

Asked by: flyingpig1

These tyres are sold individually.

Answered by: WiggleDean

Date published: 2016-10-18

Direction tread on gatorskin tyres

Hi , just bought and received 700x23 Continental Gatorskin from Wiggle. Does it have a rolling direction? I've noticed the &quot;tread&quot; could be put on either way.Im doing the London Brighton this weekend so an early reply would be great. Cheers

Asked by: Richie64

Yes they do, although I've ran mine &quot;the wrong way around&quot; by mistake without problems.
There should be a print on the sidewall next to where all the max PSI and other tyre info are, with an arrow and the word &quot;ROTATION&quot;.
This is not yellow or in ink, but rather moulded as part of the sidewall so it could be tricky to see. Use a light flat on the tyre wall to see the shadows :) Always works!

Answered by: ekynoxe

Date published: 2014-08-13

hi. what's the best tyre width for tarmac and some country roads (with gravel and small stones)?

maybe the 23mm are just for racing? I am starting out on a road bike, just for basic fitness. Not sure whether to go for 25mm's or 28mm's

Asked by: headtothehills

I use 23mm tyres for fast riding in town and country alike, and find them very dependable. They also seem to hold the road even in wet conditions, and I would be reluctant to sacrifice speed for wider ones.

Answered by: Chazza

Date published: 2013-10-23

Are these good for use in the wet and rain?

Asked by: adowling92

They sure are!

Answered by: wallywombat

Date published: 2014-12-07

Which way do they rotate?

I really can not find a rotation arrow on these tyres I jus got.
Are the triangle spposed to point forward or back?

Asked by: clownbloke

There is definitely a rotaion sign on one side but it is hard to see. The small triangle points forward.

Answered by: StirlingJames

Date published: 2013-10-23

Does this tyre come with a free tube (like the Continental Sport Contact)?

Asked by: johnlimk

No it does not. Just the tyre, to be honnest fingers crossed you wont need a new inner tube after using the tyre

Answered by: AmatureFixie

Date published: 2013-11-03

A new rider question

Silly question but my new bike wheel specs say 700c x 23c. As I'm new to all this and a casual road rider I wanted to have a couple of spare tyres and after reading up a bit I think I would prefer to have some added puncture protection and perhaps comfort so will go for the gatorskin, but, the sizes offered don't mention the c after the size, does this matter?

Asked by: sweetsnap

I can confirm that these are the correct tyres. The 'C' refers to the width of the tyre but has not significant meaning.

Answered by: WiggleShack

Date published: 2013-10-23

Are these folding tyres?

Asked by: cjparker

These ones are non folding. Mine arrived in a massive full tyre sized package.

Answered by: Pablo23

Date published: 2015-01-11

Slicks for 29&quot; MTB Wheel

Will these fit MTB 29&quot; wheels with a width of 26mm

Asked by: BalhamSpaniard

Although 29er wheels and road 700c wheels share the same bead diameter of 622 mm, the issue her would be the width. If the full rim width is around 26 mm, a tyre size of 32-44 mm should be the most suitable option.